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IN DEPTH: Easton XL1 BBCOR Baseball Bat

The Easton XL1 BBCOR is Easton’s bruiser in the BBCOR line up for 2013. (The X standing for big or large) This bat has a brother called the Easton S1, (the S being for speed and balance) and is almost the same bat save a few important differences. The graphics on the Easton XL1 are yellow and black, with yellow being the stand out color on the XL1 BBCOR barrel, as opposed to the black and yellow Easton S1 with black being the stand out color on the S1 barrel. Besides colors being an obvious differentiating point, a quick side by side comparison will immediately reveal the Easton IMX composite barrel for the Easton XL1 is a full inch and a half longer than the Easton S1 IMX composite barrel. Easton’s goal was to make the XL1’s barrel the biggest barrel on a Easton BBCOR bat for 2013. Not only have they made a 2013 Easton bat with a giant barrel. They made a giant barrel covered in IMX composite technology to create a huge sweet spot of a hitting surface on the bat. There is definitely a ton of grace when making contact with this bat, and if you can swing the more end heavy XL1 you will see all the extra barrel and weight transferred to the distance in the balls you hit. I should state that between the two bats the S1 was my personal choice, but I prefer a balanced bat feel. If you like, or are comfortable with end weighted bat you will probably also love the Easton XL1. It’s hard to say what’s Easton’s best BBCOR bat for 2013 but that’s only because they have made so many this year in their power brigade line. I was pleased with the improvements Easton made to their 2013 High School and College Bat line up. The Easton XL1 and the Easton S1 are both two-piece all composite bats that lived up to the billing as Easton’s top of the line bat. The XL1 from Easton showed me all that I was looking to see in Adult Bat performance. Pop from all over the IMX composite barrel, as well as the SIC handle that Easton is offering which is basically carbon fiber spiraled through the handle to the barrel to tune out any nasty vibration. That in conjunction with their patented two-piece conneXion makes for possibly the most comfortable bat to swing on the market.